Can opener



Nov. 28, 1950 T. L. RUSH 2,532,121

CAN OPENER Filed Feb. 8, 1946 PIE-1 1+ 15 11 16 19 17 IN VENTOR.

THUMHS L. RUSH WM WQHTT.

Patented Nov. 28, 1950 U N IT'ED S TAT ES PATENT P'Flfili.. v

CAN. OPENER Thomas L. Rush, Cleveland, Ohio Application February 8, 1946, Serial No. 646,254

3 Claims. 1

My invention. relates in general to can openers and, more particularly, to a can opener of the type in which a rotatable traction element is arranged. to engage and effect rotation of a. can, and. a cutting blade is extended into such can to cutout its top alongv the side of the bead thereof.

- The general object of my invention is to provide a can opener of the character described which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured from few parts and requires no adjustment for cans of difierent shapes, sizes and dimensions.

Such a general object according to this invention is attained by a can opener embodying cutting blade supporting means and traction element supporting means slidably coupled with each other at horizontally spaced areas to permit changes in the relative position of the; blade and the traction elements by sliding and yielding action of these elements with respect to each other and thus insure proper and easy operation of the can opener.

Another object of the invention therefore is to provide a, can opener embodying a cutting. blade supporting base member, a. traction element supporting slide member, and coupling means slidably coupling said members with each other, in which opener the base member, slide member and coupling means are cooperating to permit changes in therelative position of blade and traction element for opening of cans having different shapes, sizes and dimensions and cans having rims varying in thickness.

A further object of the invention is to provide a can opener embodying a cutting blade supporting base member, a traction element supporting member slidably coupled with said base member and yielding means on said slide member adapted to en'gage the top edge Of the rim of a can, the said yielding means facilitating positioning of'the can between blade and traction element and permitting use of the opener on cans with rims varying in height.

In addition, the invention has other marked improvements and superiorities which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These improvements or superior characteristics embodying certain novel features of construction are clearly set forth in the appended claims; and a preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter shown with reference to the accompanying drawing forming part of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side-view of a can opener constructed in accordance with the invention, the. view show ing. the. can engaging side of the opener- Fig. 2. is a front view of the can opener shown. in Fig. 1..

Fig. 3 is. a plan view of the can opener shown in Fig. l', the view showing the can opener in can. opening operations.

Fig. 4 is a. side-view of the can opener asshown in Fig. 3-, disclosing the handle.- sidev of the. can opener.

Fig.v 5 is a side-view of thetraction elementsupporting slide member.

Fig. 6 is afragmentary side-view of the cutting; blade supporting base member and Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a somewhatmodified form of a traction element supporting: slidemember.

Referring now-more. particularly to the accom. panying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference numeral 21 denotes an. elongated base plate adaptedto: be removably mounted on a. bracket 3. Base plate 2 carries near its one end a tubular, partly slitted member 4 sleeved with its sl-itted. portion 5901a plate 2 and secured thereto in any suitable manner. The downwardly extended portion :6 of tubular member 4. forms a pivot arm: cooperatingstantial cut-out Ill, which portion mounts above.

said cut-out on strip-like portion l I a .disc-shap ed cutting blade 12 rotatably mounted. on. a pin I4 and positioned to extend. partly opposite to out out it and permit cooperation of said cutting blade with a traction element l5,- as will be described. hereinafter.

Base plate 2 supports and is interengaged with a somewhat triangularly shaped slide l6 which is slidably supported on pins ll of base plate 2, the pins being extended through elongated slots H3 in said slide. .This slide is formed at its top portion with an elongated slot I!) through which extends the cutting blade mounting strip-like portion ll of base plate 2. Slide I5 is formed with laterally extended top and bottom flanges, top flange 26 being of substantial length and extended laterally opposite slot I8, and bottom flange 2!, which is considerably shorter than top flange 2! being shaped to taper off toward the rear. The central area of slide l6 rotatably mounts the traction element l5 arranged in axial alignment with elongated slots 18. This element which consists of a hardened steel disc with a toothed peripheral edge, is mounted to extend into and rotate in cut-out 1-3 of base plate 2 and. is rigidly coupled with a crank 23 arranged at the other side of slide I6.

The top and bottom flanges 29 and 2! of slide '8 Serve to space the can to be opened with respect to cutting blade l2, prevent angular displacement of the can during opening operations, and efiect proper angular relation between cutting blade and can and thus insure a smoothedged out adjacent to the bead of thecan. Top flange 2a is dimensioned and constructed to yield to permit cutting operations on cans with rims of various heights and irregularities on such rims, and to that efiect is positioned opposite slot l to ve said flange the shape of a long and narrow strip supported only at opposite ends. Such a strip readily yields and permits cutting operations on cans withrims of various heights without excessive strain and deformation of the.

strip. Bottom flange 2i is tapered off toward the supporting end of base plate 2 to facilitate engagement of a can with cutting blade E2 and effect proper angular relation between said blade and the can during cutting operations.

In addition, cutting blade i2 is yieldingly supported so as to permit its lateral yield with respect to traction element 55 for cutting operations on cans with rims of various thickness and smooth cutting of a can cover adjacent to its seam. Such yielding support of the blade is attained by mounting cutting blade (2 in the central area of strip-like portion ll of base plate 2, which portion is supported only at its opposite ends and under stress yields to permit a lateral yield of cutting blade [2 necessary for cutting operations on cans having rims of various thickness.

In can opening operations a can is placed against top flange 26 so that cutting blade :2 engages the inner face of the can rim and then crank 23 is moved forward to shift traction element [5 on slide it into frictional operative engagement with the can bead. In this position rotation of traction element l5 by its crank 23 causes the can top to be moved and pierce. and sheared by cutting blade l2, which blade is constrained against the inner surface of the can i bead to shear the can top close to the bead.

The modified construction shown in Fig. '7 discloses a slide 2s constructed in general similar to slide it previously described, with the exception that slide 24 has attached to its top portion 25 a leaf-spring member 26. This member, which takes the place of the top flange it of slide it, includes at its front end a lateral extension 2? to facilitate engagement of the member with a can and is rigidly secured with its rear end to slide 2%, yields more readily and permits general eas use of a can opener thus equipped for opening all types of cans, even those with rims substantially varying in heights.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a can opener, a base member having an elongated hole, a cutting blade mounted on one side of said base member midway above said elongated hole so as to extend partly opposite said elongated hole, an elongated slide member shiftably coupled with said base member, a traction element rotatably mounted on said slide member so as to extend within said elongated hole of said base member, and laterally spaced means shiftably connecting said slide member with said base member, said spaced means arranged to limit shifting of said slide member to hold the traction wheel in all possible positions within the elongated hole of said base member.

2. In a can opener a base member having an elongated hole arranged and dimensioned to provide a strip-like part above said hole, a cutting blade mounted on said strip-like part midway thereof so as to extend partly opposite said hole, elongated slide means shiftably attached to said base member, and a traction element mounted on said shiftable means and extending into said hole of said base member, said strip-like part yieldingly spacing the cutting blade and traction element with respect to each other to permit proper opening of cans having rims of vari-' ous thickness.

3. In a can opener a base member having an elongated hole arranged so as to provide a striplike laterally yielding part above said hole midway thereof, a cutting blade mounted on the central portion of said strip-like part so as to partly extend opposite said hole, a slide member shiftably secured to said base member, a traction element rotatably mounted on said slide member soas to be extended into the hole of said base member, means shiftably connecting said slide member to said base member, and a vertically yielding, can-engaging, strip- 'ke portion laterally extending from the upper portion of said slide member to yieldingly engage the top edge of the rim of a can to be opened, the strip-like part permitting lateral yield of said cutting blade for cans having rims of various thickness, and the can-enstrip-like portion permitting vertical yield for cans having rims of various heights.

THOMAS L. RUSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

